Finding Green in Iraq
Portrait of a Scientist as Art
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Whilst serving in Iraq for 18 months, the breadth and depth of experiences in a most unique place and time are captured in 23 chapters of this Book. Essentially, the author takes 301 photographs and writes text explaining these images. The subtitle of the Book "Portrait of a Scientist as Art", is based upon the fact that a scientist can explain only a portion of the world; yet it is the artist that can explain the rest. Much is imagination and reflection and seeing what others may not see. The best scientists are good artists for they know what is the appropriate realm for each. And the linkages between art and science are solidly captured in this Book. There are many books written about Iraq and our time there as civilians and soldiers. This one tells a different story of much more that just agricultural development. The story is manifest as science and art, the empirical and the imaginary, and the deep hope for the Iraqi people to build a new country. That hope is found in this Book.
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About the Book
From the view of a US Department of Agriculture scientist, the author writes of his assignment in Iraq, working at Embassy Baghdad and traveling to nearly every Province. While nearly all of his work was agriculturally related, he writes of his experiences by combining insight and imagination as art, as well as the science of agricultural development. He brings the perspective of working with the US Military, the State Department, the Government of Iraq Ministries, as well as a host of other government agencies and organizations. The book includes 301 photographs, giving the reader a first hand look at Iraq, its people, its beauty, and the still present scars of decades of war. The author makes the compelling case that Iraq and its people can become a stable and peaceful country, but it is largely up to the young people in Iraq to find this course. In many of his journeys, he finds just such young people, and imagines what they can become …
About the Author
Dr. Michael Gangwer is currently a Senior Agricultural Advisor for the US Department of Agriculture. He is assigned to the US State Department as an active member of the Civilian Response Corps. He completed a year assignment at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan in 2006, an 18 month assignment in Iraq in 2009-2010, a 60 day assignment at Embassy Islamabad, Pakistan in 2011, and a just completed six month tour in South Sudan, Africa. Prior to his expeditionary role, he was assigned to USDA-Michigan Natural Resources Conservation Service on the Ecological Sciences Staff. Before coming to Michigan, Dr. Gangwer was an associate professor at Oregon State University for eleven years. Dr. Gangwer holds a Ph.D. from Michigan State University in Agricultural Systems Sciences with a focus on Soil Physics. He grew up in Parkdale Oregon on a dairy and crop farm. His permanent residence is Alma, Michigan, where he lives with his wife Sandy when not deployed overseas or detailed to Washington DC. He is a marathon runner and as a private pilot, owns and flies a Mooney M20J aircraft.